OC's engineering program could double in size

OLYMPIA - A budget proposal that would double the size of Olympic College's four-year engineering program has passed the House and now awaits approval by the Senate.

In November, Gov. Chris Gregoire called for $7.6 million to boost aerospace training programs at Washington State University and the University of Washington. That included money to enroll more students in engineering programs at UW and WSU — money that would filter down to community colleges like OC, which partners with WSU on a four-year engineering program at OC.

The money was earmarked in both the House and Senate budget proposals. The House approved the appropriation last week; the Senate is expected to tackle it in the next few days.

WSU and OC began offering classes last year for the four-year mechanical engineering program in which students take two years of pre-engineering courses taught by OC faculty and then two years of mechanical engineering courses taught by WSU faculty on the Bremerton campus.

About 30 students are enrolled in that program. If the new appropriations survive, that number could increase to at least 60 over the next two years.

Both the House and Senate budget proposals contain a $7.6 million appropriation to UW and WSU to boost aerospace training programs.

If WSU gets its $3.8 million share, it will use the bulk of the money for engineering programs at its Pullman campus, said WSU lobbyist Chris Mulick. Meanwhile, some of that money would go to engineering programs that WSU shares with community colleges in Bremerton, Everett and Vancouver — beginning this fall.

"We're going where the students are. ... We're going to where the jobs are," said Mulick, noting that Kitsap County employs numerous engineers for Navy-related activities.

Olympic College spokeswoman Jennifer Hayes said the dual program has been successful so far in Bremerton. OC academic advisers see an average of 100 students a month interested in pre-engineering courses.

"We've seen a tremendous interest in students who want to take pre-engineering," she said.

The current classes are filled and a waiting list has begun to grow for the program.

OC is in preliminary discussions on how a potential expansion would be tackled.

Mulick said WSU is not sure whether the types of engineering courses offered in Bremerton would expand if the full $3.8 million appropriation materializes.